This webinar shares findings from the Centre’s ‘Policing, Vulnerabilities and Domestic Abuse: Victims, Perpetrators, Interventions’ research project.
Domestic Abuse (DA)—referred to as Family Violence in Australia—encompasses physical, sexual, emotional, economic, and psychological behaviours used to exert power and control over a partner, ex-partner, or family member. Over the past decade, both in the State of Victoria and Greater Manchester, significant efforts have been made to improve responses to DA.
In Victoria, the implementation of 227 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Family Violence published in 2016 led to a range of significant reforms, including the establishment of specialist courts, the expansion of refuge spaces, and the enhancement of support services for victim-survivors. Building on similar ambitions, Greater Manchester’s 2021 10-Year Gender-Based Violence Strategy focuses on improving access to support, raising public awareness, addressing trauma and underlying causes of abuse, and strengthening the workforce involved in the DA response.
This webinar will share findings from the Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre project, ‘Policing, Vulnerabilities and Domestic Abuse: Victims, Perpetrators, Interventions’. Drawing on qualitative interviews conducted in both regions, the session will explore lessons learned and opportunities to advance DA responses.
These lessons reveal the complexity of tackling DA, including differing views on its causes and the limited evidence guiding behaviour change for perpetrators. These challenges are compounded by inconsistent service provision with limited availability of tailored interventions for those who use violence and victim-survivors.
Addressing these challenges demands political courage and sustained investment to enhance accountability and improve support for victim-survivors. In particular, the session will consider how trauma-informed and ‘Think Family’ approaches can be implemented effectively while ensuring that perpetrator accountability remains central within existing systems. In offering examples of good practice, attendees will gain some insight into the problems and possibilities for system change.